Many computers today have radios to support wireless communication. Wireless communications are used, for example, to connect to access points. By associating with the access point, a wireless computer can access a network, such as the Internet, to which the access point is coupled. As a result, the wireless computer can access any device that is also connected to the network.
To enable computers to be configured for association with an access point, it is common for the access points to operate according to a standard. A common standard for devices that connect to access points is called Wi-Fi. There are multiple versions of this standard, but any of them can be used to support connections through access points.
Wireless communications may also be used to form connections directly to other devices without using an access point. These connections are sometimes called “peer-to-peer” connections and may be used, for example, to allow a computer to wirelessly connect to a mouse or keyboard. Wireless communications for these direct connections also have been standardized. A common standard for such wireless communications is called BLUETOOTH®.
In some instances, a wireless computer may concurrently connect to other devices through an access point and as part of a group engaging in peer-to-peer communications. In fact, some computers have multiple radios to support such concurrent communication. More recently a standard has been proposed, called Wi-Fi Direct Access, that would enable both an infrastructure connection and communication as part of a peer-to-peer group. This standard, published by the Wi-Fi Alliance, extends the popular Wi-Fi communications standard for infrastructure-based communications to support direct connections.
Equipping computing devices to support direct connections is expected to expand the scenarios in which a wireless computing device can connect to other wireless devices. For example, computer users working together may more readily form a group that allows the users to share data. Similarly, a computer may more readily connect wirelessly to a printer or devices providing other desired services.